Why Are You Crying?
by Avril Lambert
Summary: Vanessa and Gaston show they love each other through physical and verbal abuse. Meg deals with her boyfriend, Cale, being in the Army. Sinbad and Ariel are in a long distance relationship. Jim and Merida's relationship is based on a lie. Jane is caught in a love triangle. Jasmine tries to deal with her boyfriend, Aladdin, being over protective. Disney and non-Disney characters.
1. Chapter 1

It was a silent ride to the airport. Ariel nervously played with her hair and stole a sideways glance at her boyfriend, Sinbad. He was leaning back in the driver's seat with one hand on the steering wheel and the other flipping through songs on his iPod. He occasionally looked up from the iPod, but it was early in the morning and there were hardly any other cars on the road. This habit of concentrating more on his iPod than the road when he was driving used to bother Ariel; but after dating him for a few months she got used to his careless behavior.

Sinbad was what most people would consider a bad boy. It was because of this that Ariel's friends, Rapunzel and Charlotte, tried to convince her to break up with him before going to school. They insisted that long distance relationships never work and that he would end up cheating on her. Ariel didn't believe that. Sinbad was many things, but a cheater wasn't one of them.

Sinbad finally decided on a song. He set his iPod in one of the cup holders, then reached over and put his hand on Ariel's lap. Ariel put her hand on top of his, then looked out the window. She was going to miss Sinbad terribly, but at the same time she was excited to be going to school. She was accepted into one of the best music schools in the country and she would be attending the school for a year.

Ariel always loved singing, even when she was a little girl. She grew up with six older sisters and they all had their own interests. Her father raised them alone, but was very supportive of all of them. He secretly sent in a video of Ariel singing to the school and they were so impressed by it, that they offered her a scholarship.

At first, Sinbad wasn't happy about her leaving for a year. But, he knew how much it meant to her and he didn't want to stand in her way. That was what Ariel loved about him; Sinbad acted tough and most people thought he was selfish, but he was actually the complete opposite.

When they finally reached the airport, Ariel's heart became heavy. Sinbad quickly got out of the car and Ariel followed him out. She stood on the sidewalk and watched Sinbad take her bag out of the trunk.

This was it.

"Call me as soon as you land, okay?" Sinbad told her.

Ariel nodded. A couple tears escaped from her eyes and Sinbad wiped them away. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too," he replied. "But, it's only a year. Plus you're coming back for Christmas."

"Sir, you have to move your car!" a security guard ordered.

Sinbad glanced back at him, then looked down at Ariel. "I love you, Ariel."

"I love you, too."

Sinbad smiled at her, then kissed her. Ariel wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly.

"Sir, you have to move your car," the security guard repeated.

Sinbad broke the kiss and stepped back. "Bye, babe."

"Bye."

Ariel took a deep breath, then grabbed the handle of her wheeling suitcase and started towards the door. Before she went inside, she glanced back just in time to see Sinbad drive away.

**x~x~x**

Meg woke up early that morning to the sound of an incoming video call on her computer. Her eyes flew open and she hurried across the room to her desk. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, then answered the call. In an instant she saw her boyfriend, Cale, on the screen. He was dressed in his camouflage uniform, as usual. Cale had enlisted in the Army and was deployed a few months ago. Their bi-weekly video chats were the only time she got to see him.

"Good morning, beautiful," Cale greeted.

Meg laughed. "Are you kidding? I just woke up."

"I would have given anything to be next to you when you woke up."

Meg smiled at him. "Soon, baby."

Meg honestly didn't know if that was true. She had no idea when Cale would be home again.

"I don't have long," Cale said. "I just had to see you."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm alive."

Meg nodded. She knew he hated it there, but he would never say so out loud. "Take care of my boyfriend; I need him to come back to me."

"I will."

"I'll wait forever for you, Cale Tucker."

Cale smiled sadly at her. "I love you, Megara."

Meg started to say she loved him, too, but the call dropped and he was gone. Meg gently ran her fingers over the screen where Cale's face had just been. She missed him so much and was hurting without him, but she had to be strong when she was talking to him. He was dealing with so much, the last thing he needed was to be worrying about her.

Meg crawled back into bed and curled up under the blanket. There was a light knock on the bedroom door, but she ignored it.

"Meg? Are you awake?" It was her sister, Belle.

"Yeah. Come in."

Belle slowly opened the door and slipped inside. "Was that Cale?"

"Yeah."

"How's he doin'?" Belle sat down on the bed.

"He's fine."

"How are _you_?"

Meg sat up and brought her knees up to her chest. "Sad. I miss him a lot. And I'm so scared. Every time I see him, I know it could be the last time I ever see him."

Belle put her hand on Meg's arm. "Cale's strong; he'll be all right."

"I don't know what I would do if I lost him."

"You can't think like that," Belle told her. "Cale's out there fighting for our country; your boyfriend is a hero. I know you're scared, but you have to focus on something else or you'll drive yourself crazy."

Meg nodded, but didn't say anything. She was so tired of having to pretend to be strong.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're up in five minutes, Jasmine," Jessica Rabbit told her.

Jasmine nodded and looked at her boss through the mirror on her vanity. "I'm ready."

Jessica walked away just as Esmeralda was coming into the dressing room. She plopped down in the seat next to Jasmine. She was wearing a purple push-up bra with a black thong and a purple garter belt attached to black fishnet stockings. She completed her look with black fingerless gloves and her signature large gold hoop earrings, which she now took off and dropped on the counter next to her makeup. The character Jessica had assigned Esmeralda was the "bad girl".

"It's not busy," Esmeralda told Jasmine.

"Is _he_ here?" Jasmine asked her friend.

Esmeralda nodded as she started to remove her lipstick. "Of course he is; he comes every night."

Jasmine sighed. She worked as an exotic dancer at Pleasure Island but her boyfriend, Aladdin, didn't like it. He was very protective of her and came to her work every night to keep an eye on her. It didn't matter what Jasmine said or did, he still showed up. Thankfully, he kept his distance so he didn't interfere with her tips, but it was still unnerving having him there.

"Three minutes, Jasmine!" Jessica called out. Jessica was the owner of the club.

Jasmine checked her reflection once more to make sure everything looked right. She wore a red and black off the shoulder bustier, a matching gartered skirt and black stockings. She also wore a black forehead tiara that had a red gem dangling down from the center of it and a black lace choker. A black arm bracelet in the shape of a snake was wrapped around her right bicep.

Jasmine stood up and walked to the back of the stage. Waiting for her was her dance partner; a black and red cobra named Jafar. Jasmine opened his cage and carefully pulled him out. He was about ten feet long and weighed more than ten pounds, but Jasmine was used to his size and handled him easily. Jasmine's character was the "snake charmer"

"Are you ready, big boy?" Jasmine asked him in the same tone someone would use for a puppy or kitten.

The stagehand helped wrap the snake around Jasmine's body and when the music started she walked out onto the stage. She was immediately met by cheering and she smiled seductively at all of the men; except Aladdin. She was careful not to look at him.

Jasmine gracefully and sensually worked through her dance routine, while concentrating on nothing but the music and her snake.

When she finished, she finally made eye contact with Aladdin and winked at him. The bodyguard, Zak, gathered up her tips of the stage and the two of them went backstage.

"Good job tonight," Zak told her.

"Thank you." Jasmine untangled Jafar from around her body and put him back in the cage. She then turned and took her tips from Zak. "I think Crysta is on next."

Zak smiled. "She is."

Crysta was the youngest of the dancers and Zak's girlfriend. The two of them started dating about six months ago when Crysta started dancing here. Crysta was petite and innocent looking, so Jessica made her the "untouchable virgin" character. She wore a white corset, white mini skirt and white stockings. Her signature look was a set of silver fairy wings that she wore on her back. Crysta had quickly become a crowd favorite and was the headlining dancer.

Jasmine couldn't help being a little jealous.

**x~x~x**

"Where are you going?" Gaston demanded.

"I told you; I'm having a girls' night with Helga and Eris," Vanessa said, buttoning her jeans.

Gaston eyed her. She hadn't yet put on her shirt and was now standing in front of him in just her jeans and black bra.

"Helga's a whore; I don't like you hanging out with her," Gaston finally said.

Vanessa gave him a sly smile. "What's the matter? You think she'll rub off on me and I'll start sleeping around, too?"

Gaston laughed. "Like there's anyone out there better than me."

Vanessa slipped on her low cut, black sequin camisole. "I don't know about that. Have you seen Eric lately? Yum."

Gaston snarled at Vanessa and slapped her. Her head whipped to the side, causing her hair to fall in her face. She looked up at him and smiled, then punched him in the face. He grabbed her and threw her down on the bed. He was strong; much stronger than any other man she had met. He wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her into a kiss. Vanessa sighed and lustfully kissed him back. She loved when her boyfriend was rough with her; nothing turned her on more. Gaston started to pull away and Vanessa bit down hard on his lower lip, drawing blood. She smiled at him as licked the blood off his lip.

"You're right; there's no one better than you," Vanessa told him.

Gaston lowered his mouth to her neck and bit it. She closed her eyes and sighed as he gently sucked on her skin. Whenever Vanessa went out without him, Gaston left a hickey on her neck as a way to mark her as his. Not that he needed to do that, since she had a tramp stamp tattoo of his name on her lower back and a heart tattoo with his initial inside it on her left hand between her thumb and forefinger. There was no question that Vanessa was his.

Suddenly a loud buzz sounded through their apartment. Gaston climbed off her and Vanessa stood up. She straightened her clothes, then went out into the hallway and pressed the button on the intercom.

"I'll be right down," Vanessa told her friends. She then turned to Gaston. "What are you gonna do tonight?"

Gaston leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "Probably meet up with Sinbad for a few drinks. His girl left this morning."

Vanessa nodded. She vaguely remembered Sinbad mentioning that Ariel was leaving for a year. Although, she couldn't remember where she was going; not that she really cared. Vanessa never liked Ariel and had no idea why Sinbad wasted his time with her.

"Good riddance," Vanessa muttered. "Maybe now Sinbad can finally move onto a girl that's worth it. Like Eris; she's always had a thing for him."

Gaston shook his head. "No way. Sinbad is doing a long distance relationship with Ariel."

Vanessa rolled her eyes as she pulled her I.D. and money out of her purse and stuck them in her back pocket. "It won't last long."

Gaston wrapped his arm around Vanessa's waist and pulled her close to him. "Don't you ever leave me."

Vanessa kissed his cheek. "Never."


	3. Chapter 3

Jane stared at her textbook but couldn't concentrate; all she could hear was the loud music coming from the dorm room next door to her. Fiona was her next door neighbor and she often had her boyfriend, Shrek, over on Saturday nights and they turned the music on loud to cover up their bedroom noises. Outside she could vaguely hear students shouting, but her closed window and the music mostly drowned them out.

Jane wasn't much of a partier, but it seemed everyone else at the university she attended was; including her girlfriend, Tiana. Tiana was supposed to come to Jane's dorm to spend time together, but she opted to go to a frat party instead. Jane was a little disappointed, but she was used to this from Tiana. Tiana was a hard worker during the week, but as soon as the weekend hit it was like she was a completely different person. Jane loved Tiana, but it was hard to be her girlfriend sometimes.

Jane sighed and slammed her textbook shut. Clearly she wasn't going to get any studying done. She checked her phone for the tenth time, but still no text from Tiana. She most likely wasn't going to hear from Tiana until the next morning when she woke up.

The music from next door grew louder as the door to Jane's room opened. Jane turned around in her chair to see her roommate, Odette, walk in. She was holding a container of frozen yogurt with a plastic spoon dangling from her mouth. Jane couldn't help but smile. Odette was addicted to the dessert shop, Enchanted Desserts, and it was rare to see her without a container of their frozen yogurt or a cup of one of their smoothies.

Odette plopped down on her bed. "Sounds like Fiona and Shrek are having another one of their private parties."

Jane nodded. "I don't really want to stay here and listen to them; do you wanna go do something?"

Jane didn't want to admit the real reason she wanted to get out of the dorm was she didn't want to stay in while Tiana was out having fun without her.

Odette was just taking another bite of her frozen yogurt and her eyes lit up. She quickly swallowed it and smiled. "The new Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie is out! God, he's so dreamy!" Jane raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, right; you're not really into Joseph Gordon-Levitt, are you? I think Emily Blunt is in it, too..."

Jane laughed. "I think he's a good actor. But, yeah, Emily Blunt is kinda cute."

"It's settled, then. We're going to the movies," Odette said, standing up.

While Odette changed, Jane checked her phone again. Of course there was no text from Tiana, but she still hoped there would be. Jane couldn't help wondering if Tiana even thought about her when they weren't together. Probably not.

"You ready?" Odette asked.

"Yeah." Jane stuck her phone in her pocket and followed Odette out of their room.

The two girls made their way out to the parking lot and got into Odette's car. There was an empty smoothie cup in the cup holder and several plastic spoons and napkins on the floor. There was also a faint smell of strawberry-Odette's go to flavor at Enchanted.

Odette started the car and sped out of the parking lot. It didn't take long to get to the theater, but the line at the box office was long and they barely made it to the movie on time. Jane had a hard time staying focused on the movie, though. All she could think about was Tiana. They had been together for almost a year, but it seemed like they had been drifting apart recently. She didn't see Tiana as much as she used to and Jane had to admit that she missed her. She tried talking to Tiana about it, but Tiana said everything was fine and it was just in her head. Jane didn't believe that, though.

Odette reached for the cup in the armrest between them and her hand brushed across Jane's, momentarily distracting her. Jane cast a sideways glance over at her, but Odette was completely engrossed in the movie. Odette had become Jane's roommate at the beginning of the semester, so they had only been friends for about a month now, but Odette was easily one of the best friends Jane ever had. Tiana didn't like Odette, though; mainly it was because of Odette sharing a room with Jane every night. Tiana thought there was something going on between Jane and Odette, despite Jane insisting Odette was completely straight.

As soon as the movie ended, Odette immediately started taking rapidly about it. Jane half listened to her, occasionally adding a comment. On their way back to the dorm, Odette made a detour at Enchanted. She quickly got out of the car and Jane followed her inside. A woman in her late twenties-early thirties with red hair was working behind the counter. When they got closer Jane could see her name tag said Giselle.

"Back again, Odette?" Giselle asked, smiling at Odette.

"Jane and I just went to the movies and this is on our way back to campus."

Giselle laughed and shook her head. "No, it isn't."

Odette shrugged. "On the way-ish. Can I get a small strawberry frozen yogurt?"

Giselle nodded as she punched Odette's order into the register. She then looked up at Jane. "Anything for you, sweetie?"

"Small chocolate frozen yogurt with sprinkles," Odette ordered for her. She then turned to face Jane. "My treat."

Jane was slightly taken aback to hear Odette knew her favorite dessert. She had mentioned it to her once when they first became roommates and she found out about Odette's addiction, but Jane didn't think she remembered. "Thank you."

They only had to wait a minute for their frozen yogurt and then they made their way to one of the tables.

"So, they know you by name here, huh?" Jane asked as they sat down.

"I come here a lot," Odette said, as if she was spilling a secret.

Jane and Odette ate silently for a couple minutes until they were interrupted.

"What's going on here?"

Jane looked up to see Tiana and her friend, Dimitri, standing beside their table. Jane wasn't sure how she hadn't seen Tiana approach them, but nonetheless she was glad to see her girlfriend. Although, the look on Tiana's face suggested she was far from happy to see Jane.

"Hey, Tiana," Jane greeted.

"What are you doing here with _her_?" Tiana demanded. "It's bad enough I have to deal with you sharing a room with her, now you're going out with her, too?"

Odette glanced up briefly at Tiana, then went back to eating.

"You were at a party, so I went to the movies with Odette. We stopped here on our way back to the dorm," Jane explained.

Tiana frowned. "This is a date." The statement was more of an accusation than a question.

"Of course it isn't." Jane was getting somewhat tired of Tiana's jealousy. At first she had thought it was kind of flattering, but now it was just annoying.

"Yeah right." Tiana turned on her heel and started walking out of the shop.

Jane glanced at Odette, but then went after Tiana. "Tiana, stop."

Tiana turned around, but Dimitri kept walking to his car. "What?"

"This isn't a date. You know I wouldn't cheat on you."

Tiana tilted her head to the side. "I can't talk about this right now, Jane. I'll call you in the morning."

Tiana turned around and made her way to Dimitri's car. She quickly got in and Jane watched them drive away.

_Why do you put up with her? _Jane asked herself.

"I love her," she answered out loud.


	4. Chapter 4

Jim parked his car on the street behind the high school. He looked up at the brick building through his window. He was now in his second year of college, but his new girlfriend, Merida, was only a senior. He met Merida a couple weeks ago at her eighteenth birthday party which he had been dragged to by his friend, and Merida's older brother, Thomas. Jim and Merida hit it off right away and he had asked her out that night. Since then they had spent almost every day together. His classes at the university were scheduled during the same time Merida was in school so Jim was able to drive her to school every morning and pick her up after school every day.

When Jim heard the final bell ring, he got out of the car and leaned against it while he waited for Merida to come out. He only had to wait a couple minutes before he saw her push open one of the heavy double doors and step outside. She was talking excitedly to her best friend, Jack Frost. Her long red hair gently blew around her face in the warm breeze and she brushed it away. When she saw Jim, she smiled and waved at him. Jim smiled back at her as he watched her run across the narrow street to him. She dropped her book bag on the ground beside the car and hugged him. She smelled of her green apple shampoo and Jim took it in as he hugged her back.

"How was school?" Jim asked her once they pulled away.

Merida shrugged and picked up her book bag. "It's Monday in high school; it sucked."

Jim laughed and nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I'm done with that."

"You're so lucky; I wish I was in college," Merida said.

"Senior year goes by fast," Jim told her, looking back at the school. It was then that he noticed Jack had joined them. "Hey," Jim greeted him.

"Hey."

"Jack and I have a project to do, so he's going to be coming over to my house for a little bit," Merida said. "You don't mind giving him a ride, too, do you?"

"Of course not," Jim replied. "But, I thought we were gonna hang out today."

"They sprung it on us today and it's due on Friday," Merida told him. "But, you can still hang out if you want."

Jim glanced at Jack and then back at Merida. "No, it's okay; I'll just drop you off and we can go out later tonight."

"Ya know," Jack chimed in, "the project isn't due 'till Friday, why don't we all hit up the arcade for a little bit before we start?"

"That sounds like fun!" Merida agreed. "Jim, do you wanna go?"

One thing Jim had learned quickly about both Merida and Jack is that they both tend to have fun instead of working, which is one thing Jim really liked about Merida since Jim was kind of the some way. He wasn't a slacker by any means, he just did what he had to as quickly as possible so he had more time to do what he wanted to do. Merida was more of a procrastinator, only doing what she had to when forced and far as Jim could tell, Jack was always just having fun. Jim couldn't help thinking they probably weren't the best team for a school project.

Jim nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

The three of them got into Jim's car. Merida tossed her book bag into the backseat with Jack and then put her seat belt on. Jim had barely pulled away before Merida turned the radio to her favorite station. Jim cringed a little as an upbeat song about a girl telling her ex boyfriend she was better off without him came through his speakers. Merida started singing along and doing a little dance in her seat. Her curls bounced as she moved, but she was too caught up in her song to notice when they fell in her face.

The arcade wasn't from the school and they arrived just a couple minutes later. The parking lot was fairly empty since most of the teenagers just walked from the school, so Jim had no trouble getting a close spot. He turned off he car and the three of them piled out. Jack practically ran inside while Jim and Merida walked a few feet behind him. As soon as they were inside they were greeted by the sounds of the different games and the smell of pizza. They cashed in for some tokens and then headed to the games. Jack insisted they start with Skee-Ball and Jim followed them as they eagerly made their way across the arcade.

Jack was really good at the game and was constantly getting a high score. Merida wasn't bad, but she got really excited every time she scored a 20 or 30. Jim couldn't help smiling at her. Most of the girls he knew took things more seriously and were very conscious about their image, but Merida just let go and wasn't afraid of going crazy and having fun. The more time Jim spent with her, the more he liked her.

**x~x~x**

Jim, Merida and Jack stayed at the arcade for a few hours. After they had played every game, some of them more than once, they each had pretty thick stacks of tickets. Though, Jack made out better than both Jim and Merida combined. They put their tickets through the ticket counting machine, then went over to the prize counter. There was no one working behind the counter, so they used that opportunity to browse all of the prizes.

"What can I get you guys?" A guy walked up behind the counter, but Jim continued to look at the prizes and didn't look up at him.

"Can I get one of those things?" Merida asked, pointing at something on the bottom shelf of the glass display under the counter.

"Sure." His voice sounded familiar to Jim.

Now Jim looked up. As soon as he saw who was working behind the counter, Jim immediately regretted coming to the arcade. Even though he was bent over and his blonde hair was covering his face, Jim recognized him as John Smith. John stood up and his piercing blue eyes instantly met Jim's as he set Merida's prize on the counter. Jim wanted to look away, but he couldn't. John broke their gaze and turned back to Merida and Jack. After the two of them had cashed in all of their tickets, John turned his attention on Jim.

"What can I get you, Jim?"

"You know each other?" Merida asked.

Jim slowly nodded. "We go to school together. Your brother introduced us last year."

Merida smiled excitedly. "Cool! Small world."

"Yes it is," Jim agreed.

John put his hands on the edge of the counter and leaned forward. "So, what do you want, Jim?"

Jim couldn't help noticing the way John's biceps bulged slightly under the sleeves of his t-shirt. John caught Jim looking at his biceps and he flexed them a little, teasing him. Jim raised an eyebrow at him.

"I want the black stuffed bear hanging on the wall," Jim finally said.

As John reached up for the bear, Jim couldn't take his eyes off his back. He knew under his t-shirt John had a perfectly sculpted body. John held out the bear to Jim and Jim gave him his ticket receipt. Jim then took the bear and immediately handed it to Merida. Her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face.

"Aw! Thank you, Jim!"

Merida threw her arms around Jim and he tightly hugged her back. He saw John looking at them out the corner of his eye. Jim slipped his fingers under Merida's chin, then brought her mouth up to his and kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ariel checked her reflection in the mirror for the thirtieth time while she waited for Sinbad's video call. It was their first video chat since Ariel had gone to school and for some reason she was nervous. Sinbad was already a couple minutes late and butterflies fluttered in her stomach just knowing she would see his face at any second.

As if on cue, her Skype account started ringing. She checked her reflection one more time, smoothed down her hair, took a deep breath and then answered the call.

"Hey, baby!" Ariel greeted.

"Hey," Sinbad greeted back.

Sinbad was sitting on his bed with no shirt on. The way the camera was angled she could see the empty pillow beside him where she would sleep when she stayed the night at his apartment. At that moment she would have given anything to be lying there now.

"How was your weekend?" Ariel asked, trying to distract herself.

Sinbad shrugged. "All right."

Ariel nodded. She hadn't been expecting an elaborate answer. Sinbad didn't like the feeling of having to check in with his girlfriend and he only shared information with Ariel when he wanted to. Ariel didn't really mind, though; she trusted him.

Ariel caught Sinbad checking her out and she smiled to herself; she had purposely worn a low cut t-shirt for their chat.

"You look good, babe," Sinbad finally said. "But I think you'd be more comfortable without your shirt on."

Ariel gave her boyfriend a flirty smile. "Is that right?"

Sinbad nodded with a mock serious expression on his face. "Oh yeah."

Ariel slowly slipped off her shirt, revealing her lacey blue bra. "There's a good chance my panties match."

Sinbad gave her a crooked smile. "Prove it."

Ariel stood up and then repositioned her webcam so Sinbad could see her whole body. She then seductively swayed her hips as she started to unbutton her jeans. She slowly pulled the zipper down, then slipped her jeans off. She now stood in front of him in her lacey underwear and enjoyed the lustful way he was staring at her. She continued her little dance, running her hands over her body as she moved. She slowly started to slide her hand up her inner thigh and over the front of her panties, but then her dorm room door burst open and her roommate, Thumbelina, barged in. Ariel quickly grabbed her clothes and held them in front of her before sitting back down on her desk chair.

"Oh my God!" Thumbelina cried. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize..." Not knowing how to finish her sentence, she let her voice trial off.

"It's okay," Ariel told her. "I'm just in the middle of a video chat with my boyfriend back home."

Thumbelina eyed the half naked image of Sinbad on Ariel's computer screen. "Right. Well, next time put a hair tie or something on the door so I know."

Ariel nodded. "Will do."

Thumbelina shook her head, picked her iPod off her nightstand and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. As soon as Thumbelina was gone, Ariel let out a little giggle and put her forehead in her hand.

"You should have invited her to join you," Sinbad said.

Ariel looked over at him and saw the hint of a joking smile cross his lips. "Maybe I would have if you had her boyfriend in bed with you."

Sinbad made a face and then laughed. "Maybe next time."

Ariel laughed. "Forget it, babe; I don't want share you with anyone."

Sinbad stopped joking around and gave her a loving smile. "I don't want to share you, either."

**x~x~x**

"Hey, babe, I gotta go," Aladdin whispered.

Jasmine stirred in her sleep as Aladdin gently shook her, then woke up. The first thing she saw was the clock on her nightstand said it was nine o'clock in the morning. Working nights had her all discombobulated when it came to the knowing what day of the week it was, but she was almost positive it was Tuesday. She rolled over slightly and looked at Aladdin, who was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I gotta go," Aladdin repeated.

"Where are you going?"

"I have classes today."

Aladdin's family didn't have a lot of money, so he couldn't go to college right after high school. He worked really hard to save up money and now he was twenty-four and only in his third year of being a part-time student. Jasmine had started going to a community college when she graduated high school, but once she got the job at Pleasure Island, she dropped out.

Jasmine wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Have a good day."

Aladdin leaned forward to kiss her forehead and she smiled at him. "I'll see you for dinner tonight."

Jasmine nodded. "I wouldn't miss it. Love you."

"Love you, too." Aladdin slipped out her bedroom door and closed it behind him.

Jasmine nestled back under blanket. She lied there for a while, trying to fall back asleep but it was no use. She sighed and got out of bed. After a quick shower, she got dressed and went out into the kitchen. She was completely surprised to see a wet man standing her kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. This, of course, wasn't the first time she had woken up to find a strange man in her apartment. Esmeralda often brought home one night stands.

"Um... Hi?" Jasmine greeted.

Startled, the man turned around. He was in the process of pouring himself a cup of coffee, but now he just stood there with the coffee pot in his hand.

"Hi," he finally said. "Coffee?"

"Please."

Jasmine had never seen this man before and she was a kind of amazed to see he knew exactly where their cups were. Although, they kept them in the cabinet above the coffee pot, so it probably wasn't too hard for him to find them. He poured her a cup and handed it to her. Jasmine drank her coffee black, so once she had her cup, she just turned and walked out of the kitchen. She went right to Esmeralda's room and went inside, without knocking. She closed and locked the door behind her, then plopped down on her bed.

"Esmeralda, wake up," she whispered.

Esmeralda smiled without opening her eyes. "Hey, baby. I had fun with you last night."

"Essie, it's Jasmine."

Esmeralda looked up at Jasmine and then yawned. "Where is... um...?" She frowned when she realized she didn't know the man's name.

"He's in the kitchen."

Esmeralda smiled again. "Oh good, I'm glad he's still here; I want to take advantage of him before he leaves."

"Essie, you gotta stop doing this to yourself. Don't you want to have an actual boyfriend?"

Esmeralda propped herself on her elbow and rested her head in her hand. " Why would I want that? So I can have an overprotective and jealous man showing up at work every night?"

Jasmine frowned. "Aladdin isn't jealous; he's just looking out for me. Because he loves me."

Esmeralda shook her head. "If _that's _love, I don't want it."


	6. Chapter 6

Jane hadn't talked to Tiana since the night at Enchanted and she was doing everything she could not to think about her. Jane's classes were done for the day and she was now working on her homework while listening to her iPod. She had the volume up loud in order to drown out her thoughts of Tiana. However, her music was so loud that she didn't hear her dorm room door open, so when a pair of hands clamped down on her shoulders, she jumped and let out a small scream.

Jane pulled out her earbuds and spun around. Tiana was standing behind her, laughing.

"You should have heard yourself!" Tiana said, when she finally stopped laughing.

Jane frowned. "What are you doing here, Tiana? Did you come to check up on me; make sure I'm not hooking up with Odette?"

Tiana's face became serious. "No. I came to apologize. I overreacted the other night and I'm sorry."

"I want to forgive you," Jane told her. "But, your paranoid jealousy is getting worse. What has gotten into you?"

Tiana sighed and sat down on Jane's bed. "I don't know... I guess I'm just afraid of losing you. We don't spend a lot of time together and it would be so easy for you to find someone else to keep you company."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"I can't help it."

Jane walked over to her bed and sat down next to Tiana. "Tia, I love you; I'm not going to cheat on you or leave you for someone else."

"Do you promise?"

"Of course I promise. I can't believe you could ever think I would do that to you." Jane was starting to get frustrated with Tiana all over again, but she did her best to keep her emotions under control so she didn't start a fight. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes. It's Odette I don't trust. I've seen the way she looks at you."

"You haven't seen anything, Tiana- it's all in your head. Odette is straight and I'm pretty sure she even has a boyfriend."

Tiana didn't speak for a moment. She looked down and stared at the floor as if she was deep in thought. Eventually she looked up and took Jane's hand. "I'm really sorry, Jane. Can you forgive me?"

"That depends; do you honestly believe you're the only girl for me?"

"Yes."

"Then I forgive you, Tia."

Tiana smiled at Jane and hugged her. "Thank you so much, baby."

Jane couldn't help smiling, too. It felt good to have her Tiana in her arms again.

**x~x~x**

Vanessa took a sip of her latte as she scribbled down some notes. She had a hard time staying focused with school and even though she was twenty-two she was still working on getting her Associate's degree. She had ditched her morning Italian class (which she was only taking because she was required to take a language) and was now trying to teach herself what was on the syllabus for that class while at the same time debating whether or not to go to her next class.

She was sitting at one of the outside tables at the campus coffee shop, Coffee Potts, and the beautiful September weather was making it hard for her to want to go to class. A big part of her just wanted to ditch all of her classes for the day. Gaston went on his lunch break at noon and she thought about bringing him lunch and spending the hour with him instead of going to her math class. Now that Vanessa thought about it, she had ditched math all semester so far and she couldn't even remember what math class she was in.

"There you are! We've been looking for you."

Vanessa glanced up as Helga and Eris plopped down at her table. "I didn't realize I was lost."

"You'll never guess what Flynn told me," Eris said.

Vanessa furrowed her brow. "Who's Flynn?"

"Sinbad's brother."

"Oh right. What did Flynn tell you?" Vanessa really didn't care about Eris' gossip since she usually started it just to create drama and cause problems for other people. Because of this, Gaston nicknamed her the Goddess of Discord, which she took as a compliment.

"He told me Sinbad and Gaston went to a strip club last night."

Vanessa looked back and forth between her friends and then looked back down at her notes. "Gaston didn't go to a strip club last night."

"How do you know?" Helga asked. "Were you with him all night?"

"Nope," Vanessa said, turning the page of her textbook.

"Then how do you know he wasn't at a strip club?"

"Gaston doesn't go to strip clubs during the week," Vanessa stated casually, as if she were talking about Gaston's grocery shopping schedule. She started jotting down more notes. "And even if he did, who cares?"

"You don't care?" Eris asked in disbelief.

"No."

"You give your man permission to ogle over other naked women?" Helga asked, trying to clarify as if Vanessa wasn't making any sense."

Vanessa glanced back up at her friends. "All men ogle over other naked women, whether you give them permission or not. I trust Gaston and I know he's only looking."

Eris and Helga laughed.

"Yeah, right, girl," Eris said. "Gaston is a pig."

Vanessa took another sip of her latte and nodded. "Yes he is, but he's not a cheater. Sure, he looks at other women just a little too long and he isn't afraid to make comments about them, but he would never cheat."

"You're delusional," Helga stated. "I have never let my boyfriends go to strip clubs or get away with checking out other women."

"You're suppressive, Helga," Vanessa told her. "That's why, despite being hot, you can't get a man."

Helga crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back in her chair. "You're living in denial, Vanessa. You need to wake up and realize your boyfriend cheats on you."


	7. Chapter 7

Meg rested her palms against the cold tiles in her shower and let the hot water cascade over her. She lowered her head and rested her forehead on her arms. The water poured over her head and dripped onto her face. She closed her eyes and instantly Cale's face came to mind. She quickly opened her eyes and straightened up. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Cale. Whenever she let her mind wander, she thought of Cale. No matter what she did, Cale invaded her head. She hadn't slept in days and barely spoke to anyone.

Meg was Cale's girlfriend before he had enlisted in the Army and she intended to stay with him until the end. Though, her family told her not to; that she didn't have to put herself through this. Even Cale had given her an out, but she didn't take it. She loved him and she was going to stay with him. Meg knew it would be hard; she certainly had no delusions that it would be easy to date someone in the Army. But, what she hadn't counted on was the excruciating pain in her heart that fear, worrying and nightmares inflicted on her.

No one else understood. They all told her if it was so hard and painful, then she should just end things with Cale and move on. But, they had no idea that giving up on Cale and losing him would hurt more.

The water slowly started to turn cold and Meg shut it off. After taking her time drying off and getting dressed, Meg sat down at her desk and stared at her computer, which she always left on in case Cale called. Even though she knew it would be at least another couple weeks before he could call her again. _If _he would ever call her again.

_Stop it, Megara! You can't keep thinking like that, _Meg scolded herself. She reached out and gently ran her finger tips over the screen. Across the room her phone started ringing on her nightstand. She thought about ignoring it, but forced herself to get up. She picked her phone up off the nightstand and saw it was Cale's older brother, Dimitri. She sighed and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Meg, it's Dimitri."

Meg sat down on her bed. "I know."

"Right. Anyway, I'm off today and I was wondering if you'd like to grab some lunch," Dimitri offered. "Belle told me you've barely eaten the last few days."

Meg put her hand on her stomach; Belle was right. It wasn't that Meg wasn't hungry, it was just that every time she ate, graphic images from her nightmares would take over her mind, making her lose her appetite. She had to admit, though, she was hungry. And if anyone would understand Meg's feelings for Cale, it was his brother.

"Sure."

"Cool. I'm on my way."

Meg hung up without bothering to say goodbye. She put on a little makeup, then snuck out of the house so her sister and parents didn't see her. She waited at the end of the driveway and as soon as Dimitri pulled up, she got in his car.

"How are you doing?" Dimitri asked as she put on her seat belt.

Meg looked up at Dimitri and froze. It always amazed her how much Dimitri and Cale look alike. There were some differences like Dimitri was a bit thinner than Cale and Cale had blonde hair while Dimitri had brown, but that was about it.

Dimitri pulled away from her house and Meg forced herself to look away from him.

"I've been better," Meg finally replied.

"Yeah, I miss Cale, too."

Meg nodded, but didn't say anything; she just stared out her window watching the cars they passed.

"Look, Meg, I know you and I weren't really close before Cale left, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here," Dimitri said. "Sometimes it helps to have a someone who knows what you're going through."

**x~x~x**

"We can't pull that off, Jack!"

Jim glanced over where Merida and Jack were working on their school project. Jim was going to take Merida out for dinner that night, but it was the night before their project was due and they were just starting it. Not wanting to be alone all night, Jim took up Merida's offer to hang out with them at her house. The three of them were sitting on the floor in her living room; Jim was leaning against the couch half watching a B-rated sci-fi movie on TV, while Merida and Jack were bent over their books and notes arguing over how to put the project together. Merida was beginning to get frustrated because she needed a good grade on the project and Jack wasn't taking it seriously. Jim smiled as Merida's cheeks turned pink when she snapped at Jack. Jack had offered to leave and let her work on it herself without him being in the way, but that only upset Merida more

"We should have started this on Monday instead of going to the arcade," Merida stated.

That was it; just the mention of the arcade made thoughts of John come flooding through Jim's mind.

_"So, what do you want, Jim?"_ John had asked. On the outside it sounded like John was asking what toy he wanted in exchange for his tickets, but Jim knew what he really meant.

When Jim first met John, he was instantly attracted to him; with his wavy blonde hair, intense blue eyes and perfect body. Thomas was Jim's roommate and had casually introduced the two of them, not knowing that Jim would be interested in John.

Little did Jim know at the time, John was interested in him as well. After talking and hanging out for a few weeks, John took the chance and asked Jim out. Jim, of course, said yes. They fell hard for each other and were together for several months. But over this passed summer, Jim started feeling like it was too hard to keep up a relationship with another man and keep it secret from everyone. He had never had feelings for another man before John and he realized he really wasn't ready to accept that he was gay. So, he broke up with John.

John understood where Jim was coming from and didn't want to pressure him into anything, but he still loved Jim and told him he would wait for him. Jim was still scared to accept who he was, which is why he started dating Merida. He liked Merida, but he honestly didn't think he could love her the way he had loved John. Jim wanted so badly to be normal and be interested in girls like his other guys friends, which was why he was trying so hard to make things work with Merida. That was also why when John asked him what he wanted, he kissed Merida in front of him. Jim just wasn't ready.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the first day of class for Ariel and the teacher, Miss Fauna, was rambling on about the basics of reading sheet music. She was an older woman with dark gray hair and wearing a green dress suit. Ariel jotted down the notes she was writing on the dry erase board, but wasn't really paying attention. Towards the end of the class, the teacher handed out flyers to everyone.

"At the end of the school year there will be a showcase. The most talented person from each class will compete and the grand prize winner will receive $5,000 and a scholarship to this school next year," Miss Fauna said. "Each of you will have to compete against each other to earn the top spot of this class. There will be a talent show at the end of the semester and the winner will be chosen then."

Ariel felt her heart skip a beat. The chance to earn a scholarship to return to this school next year was an excellent opportunity. If she won, it could open so many doors for her.

"Now, Aurora, will you please come up here?" Miss Fauna asked a girl in the back of the room

A tall girl with golden blonde hair bounded to the front of the classroom and stood next to Miss Fauna.

"For those of you who don't know," Miss Fauna continued, "Aurora won the scholarship last year. Aurora, dear, would you please sing us a little something so the class knows what they're up against?"

"Of course." Aurora cleared her throat and turned to face the rest of the class. _"I wonder why each little bird has someone to sing sweet things to; a gay little love melody? I wonder, I wonder if my heart keeps singing, will my song go winging to someone who'll find me and bring back a love song to me?"_

All Ariel could do was gape at Aurora. She had the most angelic, operatic voice she had ever heard. It was no wonder she won last year. Everyone who knew Ariel told her she had a beautiful voice, but next to Aurora she was Taylor Swift and Aurora was Celine Dion or Barbara Streisand. How could Ariel compete with that?

Aurora smiled sweetly at everyone and returned to her seat. Ariel was careful not to make eye contact with Aurora, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was afraid that Aurora would be able to see right through her and know she wasn't good enough to be here. Ariel couldn't help feeling her confidence slowly fade away. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Ariel didn't fit in with the other talented students at the school. She was lucky to be there and it wasn't likely that she would be good enough to return next year.

**x~x~x**

Vanessa had all of her homework spread out around her laptop and was tapping her pen against the table. She had homework in every class, but she was currently checking her email and IMing with Helga. She glanced at the time and frowned. Gaston would be home from work soon and she still had to make dinner. She shut down her computer and cleared off the table. She then rummaged through the cabinets and freezer to find something to cook. She eventually settled on steak and baked potatoes.

Vanessa was just finishing up the dinner when Gaston came home. She walked over to the door and greeted and Gaston with a kiss. He gave her quick kiss back, then pulled away. Gaston worked construction and was often sore and tired when he came home from work.

"Dinner is just about ready," Vanessa told him.

Gaston took off his boots, then sat down at the table and Vanessa brought him a beer.

"How was work?" Vanessa asked as she got their plates ready.

"Same as every day."

Vanessa nodded in understanding and sat down. They ate in silence for a while and Vanessa could tell Gaston was starting to feel better after eating dinner.

"Wanna hear something funny?" Vanessa asked after a while. "Helga and Eris were told you went to a strip club and now they're convinced you're cheating on me."

Gaston frowned. "So, now you're using those bitches to spy on me?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I trust you."

"Then why do you care if I go to a strip club?"

"You know I don't care. I just thought it was funny that they think going to a strip club means you're cheating."

"I really don't like them."

"I know."

"I think you should stop being friends with them."

Vanessa slowly chewed her piece of steak and stared at Gaston. "You don't get to make that decision," she said finally.

"You're choosing them over me?"

"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Vanessa spat back.

"What if I am?"

Vanessa picked up their plates and Gaston followed her into the kitchen. "Why do you care if I'm friends with them? It's not like you ever have to hang out with them."

"They're trying to break us up and I don't want them influencing you."

Vanessa finished rinsing off their plates, then spun around to face Gaston. "Are you cheating on me?"

"No."

"Then you know I'm not going to leave you, so what's the problem?"

"They don't support our relationship, Vanessa. Why do you want friends like that?" It was obvious that Gaston was starting to get angry.

"I'm not getting into this with you right now."

Vanessa tried to walk past Gaston, but he blocked her path.

"You have to make a decision; me or them?" Gaston demanded.

Normally Vanessa didn't instigate fights with Gaston, but at that moment she couldn't deal with him acting like this, so she slapped him. Gaston glared at her, then punched her. The blow hit her with enough force to knock her down and her head hit the edge of the counter. Gaston was instantly on his knees in front of her.

"I'm so sorry, Vanessa," Gaston said quietly.

"I'll live."

Gaston helped Vanessa up and led her to the bathroom. She sat down on the edge of the tub as he carefully cleaned the cut on her forehead from the counter. He was gentle with her and a look of concern was on his face. Vanessa reached up and put her hand over his. He stopped tending to her cut and looked her in the eye.

"I choose you, Gaston. I will _always _choose you."


	9. Chapter 9

Jasmine waited backstage for Esmeralda to finish her show. She stood next to Jafar's cage and once Esmeralda's music ended, she unlocked the cage and let the stage hand help her wrap Jafar around her body. Esmeralda sauntered backstage and winked at Jasmine before heading back to the dressing room. Jasmine thanked the stage hand, then slowly walked onto the dark stage. She started dancing when the music began, before her spotlight came on. When the spotlight finally shone on her, she lowered her eyes slightly to keep from being blinded. The light then fell over the men watching her and her eyes immediately landed on Aladdin. He was sitting in the back, as usual. He met her gaze and she gave him a seductive smile.

Her routine went smoothly up until towards the end when a familiar face in the middle of the club caught her attention. She momentarily froze when her step brother, Derek, made eye contact with her. He quickly dropped his eyes and she managed to finish her dance. When she was done, she handed her snake off to the stage hand and hurried back stage. Esmeralda was already back in her jeans and was removing her excess make up. Jasmine plopped down at her vanity and buried her face in her hands.

"What's the matter?" Esmeralda asked. "Did Aladdin cause a scene?"

Jasmine shook her head, but didn't look up. "No. Worse. My step brother is here."

Esmeralda let out a small laugh. "Awkward."

Jasmine groaned. "Tell me about it."

"Jasmine? There's a young man here to see you," Zak told her.

Jasmine nodded. "Tell Aladdin he can come back."

Zak turned and walked away. Jasmine quickly changed into her normal clothes and gathered up her stuff.

"Well, hello there. Who is this?" Esmeralda asked in her best flirtatious voice.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and turned around to see who she was talking about. Her stomach fell when she saw it was Derek. He stood there awkwardly while Esmeralda circled him, eying him.

"Esmeralda, that's my step brother, Derek," Jasmine introduced. "And he has a girlfriend."

Esmeralda just shrugged as if to say she didn't care.

Jasmine grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him towards the back door. "If Aladdin comes back, tell him I'm outside," she called over her shoulder to Esmeralda.

Once outside, Jasmine let go of Derek's arm.

"Well, this is an interesting situation," Derek said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Derek, you can't tell our family about this. My dad thinks I'm just working as a waitress. He'd freak out if he knew the truth."

"I imagine so. Most fathers don't want their daughters to be exotic dancers known as The Snake Charmer."

Jasmine bit her lower lip and she could feel herself blush. "Please don't tell anyone. Especially your sister; I know she doesn't like me and would just _love _to rat me out."

"Tell you what; I won't tell anyone you're working here if you don't tell Charlotte I came here."

"Deal."

**x~x~x **

"Merida really likes you."

Jim tore his eyes away from his laptop where he was working on a paper and looked over at Thomas. Thomas was sitting on his bed, scrolling through his new smart phone.

"I like her, too."

Thomas glanced at Jim. "You realize if you break her heart, I'm gonna have to kill you?"

Jim raised his eyebrow at him. Thomas was taller than Jim and had a fit body, but there was no way he could win in a fight against Jim. Jim had been a rebellious teenager and had gotten into his share of fights, whereas Thomas has never gotten into a fight with anyone.

"I know."

Thomas got a phone call then and he took it out in the hall. Jim sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew it was inevitable that he was going to hurt Merida. Jim may be having trouble accepting he was gay, but it didn't change the fact that he was. It was only a matter of time before his charade came to an end and the truth came out. It was unfair to string Merida along until then, but he was afraid. He wasn't thinking clearly when he got into the relationship, but now it was at the point where he couldn't just tell her the truth. Sure, he could come up with some other excuse to break up with her, but he didn't want hurt her feelings or ruin her self esteem.

Still, there was no way Jim could ever have the same feelings for Merida that he had for John. Even if he was desperately trying to tell himself otherwise. He really wanted to forget about what happened with John and love Merida the way he should, but he just couldn't. No matter how much he lied to himself.

As if on cue, Jim's cellphone started ringing and John's name popped up on the caller i.d. Jim stared at his phone for a moment. He reached out to answer it, but hesitated and pulled his hand back. Jim swore under his breath at his confliction then, before he could change his mind, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jim."

"What do you want, John?" Jim tried to sound indifferent so it wasn't obvious he had just been thinking about John.

"You know what I want."

"I'm with Merida now, John."

"I noticed. But I know that's not what you want. It's not you, Jim."

Jim hated that John knew him so well. It seemed like John always knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I like Merida and I want to be with her. You shouldn't wait for me, John; what we had was just a fling. It didn't mean anything." Jim squeezed his eyes shut and cursed himself for purposely trying to hurt John.

"You don't mean that."

_Take it back! _Jim scolded himself. It was easy for him to ignore his heart, though. Jim couldn't handle this constant struggle and he had to end it once and for all. "Yes I do."


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Jane said to Tiana as they walked into a frat party.

"Talked you into what? It's just a party."

Jane sighed. "Tiana, it stopped being a party a half an hour ago when we had to come in the bathroom so you could throw up."

Tiana shrugged and was about to say something, but quickly turned her head and threw up in the toilet again. Jane rolled her eyes and held Tiana's hair back. Jane knew this was how the night was going to end and that's why she didn't want to go, but Tiana insisted they should do something together. So, here they were; Tiana drunk and throwing up and Jane with vomit on her shoes. Since she knew this was going to happen, she wore crappy shoes she didn't care about, but still it was annoying nonetheless.

There was a knock on the door. "Tiana?"

Tiana lifted her head. "Come in, Dimitri."

Dimitri walked into the bathroom and made a face at Tiana. "You have a reputation, Tiana. You end up in the bathroom at every party we go to."

"Why are you guys raggin' on me?" Tiana demanded. "I'm just having fun."

"Yes, Tiana, it's _so _much fun throwing up every night," Dimitri said, grabbing a hand towel off the sink. He sat down next to Tiana and wiped her mouth. "Jane, if you want to go, I can get Tiana back to her dorm."

"Are you sure?" Jane asked.

"Yeah. I've got it from here."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go back to my room and clean up."

The frat house wasn't far from the dorms, so it was a short walk to her room. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. The room was dark, so she immediately turned on the light. She was startled to see Odette and a boy making out in her bed. He was shirtless and she was only wearing a skirt and a white lace bra. He was lying on top of her and they both looked over at Jane when the light came on.

"I'm so sorry," Jane said, looking away. "I didn't know you were here."

"It's okay," Odette replied. "I meant to put a scrunchie on the doorknob, but we got caught up in the moment and I forgot."

Jane nodded. "All right. Well, I'm just gonna go..."

"You don't have to leave." Odette sat up and her boyfriend gave her an annoyed look. She ignored it. "Jane, this is my boyfriend, John Rolfe."

"Call me Rolfe," he stated flatly.

"It's nice to meet you."

Rolfe was handsome, no doubt, but Jane was distracted by the fact that Odette still hadn't put her shirt back on. Odette had an average breast size, but she was thin and wearing a push-up bra so they looked bigger than normal. Jane lowered her eyes. At least now she had proof for Tiana that she and Odette weren't having an affair.

**x~x~x**

Belle was having a romantic dinner with her boyfriend at home and Meg couldn't stand it. It was bad enough she couldn't be with Cale, she didn't need her sister throwing her relationship in her face. Meg grabbed the sweatshirt Cale had left her then headed outside. It was a chilly night, but she decided she wanted to go for a walk. She needed to clear her mind for a while and she found walking at night was a good way to do it.

Meg walked for a while and ended up on Main Street. The street was bustling with people shopping and going to the various restaurants. She did her best to avoid running into anyone. As she neared the bar at the end of the street she could hear a band playing. She didn't know the song they were playing, but they still sounded like crap. Meg started walking past the bar but was stopped by a drunk guy grabbing her arm.

"Hey, baby," he said. He reeked of alcohol and smoke.

"Let go of me." Meg pulled her arm free, only to have him wrap his other arm around her waist. "Get off!"

"Why so tense, baby? I can make you relax. Why don't you come back to my place with me?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Oh, gross. That's never going to happen. Let go of me."

"It'll be fun."

"She said 'never' buddy. Move along."

The man turned around and came face-to-face with a boy around Meg's age. He had red shaggy hair and had his blue eyes fixed on the man.

"What's it to _you__?_" The man demanded.

"That's my girlfriend."

The man shrugged and walked away. Meg put her hand on her hip and tilted her head as she eyed the boy. He wasn't much taller than her and he was wearing ripped jeans, a t-shirt and Converse sneakers. He was definitely cute, but still had nothing on Cale.

"Thanks," Meg said.

"Don't mention it."

"Okay..."

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"No thanks. I was actually just walking by."

"Going to meet up with your _real _boyfriend?"

Meg slowly shook her head. "No. My boyfriend is in the Army."

"Ah. So you _do _have a boyfriend. Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." He winked at Meg and she glared at him. The boy laughed. "I'm kidding. I wouldn't compromise someone's relationship just so I could have a little fun with a stranger."

"All right. Well... I should get going. Thanks again for your help." Meg walked passed him and continued on her way.

Not far from the bar was the arcade. Meg didn't particularly like crowded places full of kids, but her friend, John, worked there and it had been a while since she's seen him. She walked inside and was instantly greeted with loud chatter. She maneuvered her way through all of the kids and teenagers to the prize counter. John was helping a little boy decide what to spend his tickets on and didn't notice Meg.

John's family had a lot of money, but when he started college they cut him off saying he needed to learn about hard work and responsibility. But since John had never worked anywhere the only job he could get was working the prize counter at the arcade. He also had to pay his entire way through college, so he could only afford to go school part time and it was taking him longer to get his degree than he had expected. He already had his Associate's degree and was now working on getting his Bachelor's degree in marketing and business.

Once the little boy and his dad left, John noticed Meg standing by the counter. He smiled at her and then leaned over the counter to give her a hug.

"Hey, Meg. It's been a while," John greeted. "I don't think I've seen you since Cale was deployed. How have you been?"

"All right. How 'bout you?"

"I've been better, but I could definitely be worse."

"How are things going with Jim?"

It was instantly obvious that Meg had struck a nerve and she regretted asking.

"We broke up."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What-"

"What are the _odds _that I'd run into you here?"

Meg turned around to see the boy she had met earlier standing behind her. "Well, if you're stalking me, I'd say the odds are pretty good."

"I'm not stalking you. Although, I did think about coming after you when you walked away. But, I'm actually here to see John."

Meg glanced back at John. "Is he a _friend _of yours?"

John made a face. "No. He's my cousin."

"Oh." Meg looked back and forth between them. They both had similar bodies, with pale skin and the same blue eyes. "I can see the resemblance."

"Since we're both here, though, wanna play a couple games?" the boy asked.

Meg raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you? Fifteen?"

The boy laughed. "Come on; it'll be fun."

"No thanks."

The boy shrugged. "It's okay if you don't want to get your butt kicked at children's games."

Meg knew exactly what he was trying to do, but she went along with it, anyway. Playing a couple games would be a good way to keep herself distracted. "You're on."

They ended up playing games for over an hour and he dominated every one of them. He also didn't hold back when it came to bragging. Meg didn't mind, though. She actually had fun with him and was grateful for the distraction. After cashing in their tickets, Meg said good night to him and John and then left the arcade. She was half way across the parking lot when she heard someone running after her. She turned around and waited for the boy to catch up to her.

"I had fun with you," he said.

"I did, too."

"I know you have a boyfriend, but I'd like to part as friends. What's your name?"

It was only then that Meg realized she didn't know his name either. They had just hung out for a while, but never bothered to introduce themselves. "My name is Meg."

"I'm Wheeler. I look forward to seeing you again, Meg."

* * *

**Note: Wheeler is from the animated TV series, _Captain Planet. _Captain Planet is one of my favorites shows and Wheeler is my favorite character; I've been wanting to incorporate him into one of my stories for a while but wasn't really sure how he would fit in.**


	11. Chapter 11

Aladdin slipped his arm Jasmine's waist as they walked down the street. "What do you think?" he asked as they approached the bar on Main Street. "You up for a little pool?"

Jasmine gave him a mischievous smile. "Sounds fun."

Every once in a while Jasmine and Aladdin liked to go to the bar and hustle pool. Jasmine was no stranger to bars. Her mother was an alcoholic and used to take her to the bars with her instead of getting a babysitter. When she was a freshman in high school she learned how to play pool. For the last ten years she learned every game she could and even a few tricks. She and Aladdin got a kick out of watching arrogant drunks get put in their place. Getting a little extra money out of it was also a plus.

Jasmine and Aladdin walked into the smokey bar. A band was playing outside and the muffled music mixed with the jukebox playing inside. There were people everywhere and Jasmine stuck close to Aladdin as they pushed their way towards the bar. Aladdin spotted his best friend, Flynn, sitting about halfway down the bar with his girlfriend, Rapunzel.

"I'll be right back," Aladdin told Jasmine. He gave her butt a quick smack and walked over to his friend.

Jasmine ordered them a couple of beers and a few minutes later Aladdin rejoined her. They quickly spotted their target- two drunk frat boys- and made their move. Before long they were in the middle of game with a fifty dollar prize. Jasmine and Aladdin easily faked being horrible at the game for a couple of turns. They pretended to be as drunk as the boys (who they learned later were actually named Ferdinand and Charming) and missed easy shots. Soon Ferdinand and Charming became cocky, which is exactly what Jasmine and Aladdin wanted, and that's when they stepped up their game. Within just a few minutes Aladdin and Jasmine had beaten them.

"You hustled us," Ferdinand slurred.

Jasmine held out her hand. "A bet's a bet. Give us our money."

Ferdinand swore under his breath as he dug the money out of his pocket. Jasmine took the money and stuck it inside her bra. Aladdin and Jasmine said good night to them and headed out of the bar.

"They were too easy," Jasmine laughed.

Aladdin grabbed her hand and pulled her down a short alley between two buildings. "Still... it was pretty hot watching you bend over the pool table like that."

Jasmine gave him a flirty smile. "I was checking you out, too."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Jasmine kissed him.

Aladdin shoved her against the wall. Jasmine wrapped her arms lightly around him and held him close to her.

"Jasmine," Aladdin whispered as he gently bit her bottom lip.

Jasmine sighed, but couldn't help thinking about Esmeralda; she was probably back at the apartment right now with another strange guy who she will never see again. Jasmine felt bad for her friend; never knowing real love like she had with Aladdin.

Jasmine broke the kiss just long enough to tell Aladdin, "You're the only man I will ever want."

**x-x-x**

Vanessa slammed her shot glass down and waved for the bartender to pour her another shot. Gaston was going out with the guys tonight and he gave Vanessa permission to hang out with Eris and Helga one last time before telling them she doesn't want to be friends with them anymore. She had mixed feelings about dumping her friends; on the one hand they had been friends for a while and it would be hard, but at the same time she wanted to prove to Gaston how important he was to her.

The bartender, Kida, came over and poured the girls another shot. The immediately knocked it down.

"This was a good idea," Helga said. "I really need to get laid. And I have my eye on that boy over there."

Vanessa turned around and saw an older man eying Helga. Helga bit her lip and walked over to him. Vanessa rolled her eyes and turned attention back to the bar.

"Did you think we wouldn't notice?" Eris asked her.

"Notice what?" Vanessa asked, waving Kida over again.

"That." Eris pointed at Vanessa's face.

Vanessa knew she was talking about the cut on her forehead from her small fight with Gaston the night before. She had tried covering it up with makeup and hoped the dim lighting in the bar would help conceal it, but evidently it didn't work.

"I tripped and-"

"Bullshit! That bastard hit you," Eris interrupted. Her words were starting to slur.

Vanessa downed her shot. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Eris ignored her drink. "Right. And I suppose the bruise on your face was also from 'tripping'." She made air quotes when she said tripping.

"It's not a big deal, Eris. Let's move on."

"Hey, guys." Helga leaned against the bar between them. "I'm headin' out with Rourke." She nodded towards the older man. "He's an Army Commander."

Rourke came over and slapped Helga's butt. "Come on, babe."

Helga winked at her friends. "I'll call you in the morning." With that she turned and headed out of the bar with Mr. Army Commander.

Just as Helga walked out, Gaston walked in with Sinbad.

"Speak of the devil," Eris muttered.

Vanessa ignored her. Gaston noticed them and glared at Eris. She returned the look. Gaston and Sinbad ordered their drinks, then went outside to watch the band.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa, but I hate him." Eris finally downed her shot. "You really need to break up with him."

This was her out. Vanessa took a deep breath. "I love him, Er. And I don't think I can be friends with someone who doesn't support my relationship. It just isn't fair."

Eris stared at her as if she wasn't sure she heard her right. "What?"

"You heard me. I can't be friends with you when you hate my boyfriend."

Eris snorted. "I bet Gaston told you to do this. But, whatever; I really don't need you." She stood up and stormed out of the bar.

Vanessa sighed and took another shot before heading home.


End file.
